Update - late January

Another busy spell - builders hacking bits out of the house and more slowly putting other bits back together and we've been out shopping for stuff to keep them going.

The builders opened up the chimney from what will be the new salon / sejour, to the sky, which gave us a nice surprise as it appears to be in remarkably good condition and just needs a flue liner inserted and then resealing. Unfortunately we've had a lot of rain and its been pretty chilly so not ideal to have such efficient 'ventilation' just at the moment.  They've also opened up two holes in the back wall of the house to take drains from the new en-suite out into the chai, further increasing the ventilation. Just what we could do with!  They've taken down the built-in wardrobes in the two rooms that will become the master suite and the ceiling didn't fall down, so more good news.  We nipped out (merely a 5 hour trip!) to Leroy Merlin in Bordeaux yesterday to buy new doors for the rooms - remarkably good value and they'll paint well - plus an electric heating mat for the floor which we're hoping will not need too much use, and some new light fittings for the new kitchen.

Speaking of which, the granite worktops are now in place and look terrific. They're a nice blue-ish tint that contrasts well with the cupboards. The kitchen supplier came back last week as well with most of the missing bits and I fitted and plumbed in the sink and dishwasher (having already completed the electrics) so we're using it as the proper kitchen now, although the wall cupboards have yet to be fitted. The old kitchen has become the bureau and storeroom for tools and materials.

The hall now has new wall linings all round and three quarters of a ceiling, and all the electrics in, and the salon has two new wall linings and a new floor, just waiting to dry out sufficiently to lay tiles. But the tiles have to wait until the stone mason has installed the new fireplace - at least the hearth - in the next week or two.

So its all good progress but we need to source new floor covering for upstairs, keep the builder on track finishing off what can be finished and catching up on some of the details that have slipped, before laying the floor tiles downstairs, finishing the flue and chimney, doing the en-suite and opening up the hall ceiling / landing floor ready for the staircase builder to make final measurements and get cracking. Then we'll have a staircase for sale ... and so it goes on.

My mother seems to be settling down well, putting on a bit of weight and really storming ahead with her correspondence and phone calls! Our carer, Andrea, has taken her out for a few walks and drives into Jonzac as well as us taking her out more often ourselves. We took her out to dinner on Thursday to the Hotel de Bordeaux in Pons on Thursday and we all enjoyed a nice meal there. She even went to the hairdressers in Jarnac Champagne this week. (Dentist and chiropodist to follow in the next week or two!)

We're getting through our firewood at a considerable rate this year - the wet weather makes if feel colder than it really is, and we need to keep the house warmer than we'd usually do, for my mother - we can't just leave her in her warm apartment all the time.